Professor Dean Jerry is the Director of the ARC Research Hub for Advanced Prawn Breeding, Dean of Research for the JCU Singapore campus and the Deputy Director JCU Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture.

His primary area of research focus and expertise is in the application of genetic technologies to the improvement of farmed aquatic organisms. He has worked with aquaculture species for 18 years and over this time has built a large internationally recognised research team in aquaculture genetics which has been instrumental in the development of genetic tools and knowledge to inform selective breeding programs for numerous tropical aquatic farmed species. He has acquired over $22 million of external funding, the majority linked to industry projects, and published 125+ scientific articles in the area of aquaculture and genetics.

He also currently advises and assists with selective breeding programs for pearl oysters, marine shrimp, barramundi and redclaw crayfish.

As a strong advocate for the role aquaculture will play in securing humanity's future protein needs, Prof Jerry is always interested in hearing from people and companies who are seeking to conduct R&D leading to improved efficiencies in aquaculture production.

Prof Jerry is also pioneering the application of environmental DNA technologies to the detection of rare and invasive aquatic organims in Australia, and in detection of aquaculture pathogens.

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CRC for Developing Northern Australia Scheme - Projects

A decade ago pearl farming was one of the major employers and contributors to the social-economic fabric of northern Australia, contributing $189.7 million farm-gate to the national economy. However, in recent years Australian pearl production has been severely impacted by episodic and large-scale mortality events by an as yet unidentified causative factor. These mortality events, termed juvenile pearl oyster mortality syndrome (or JPOMS), have resulted in massive write-downs in production and economic value of the industry. This project will develop the genetic knowledge and lay the foundation for a selective breeding program in pearl oysters that are resistance to JPOMS.

CRC for Developing Northern Australia Scheme - Projects

Biosecurity in northern Australian prawn aquaculture

Indicative Funding

$441,819 over 3 years

Summary

This project addresses biosecurity risk through conducting the first comprehensive and widespread biosecurity audit of Australian prawn farms. This project has two components. The first is to conduct a biosecurity metanalysis using traditional and molecular diagnostic tools to establish what pathogens currently occur on prawn farms and how they relate to productivity. Secondly, once the pathobiome is established the project will formulate a risk management strategy for industry and provide on-farm biosecurity training. Understanding the risk of disease, and increased capacity to detect and monitor on-farm, will lead to more effective management practices for northern Australian prawn aquaculture.

Testing established methods of early prediction of genetic merit in abalone broodstock

Indicative Funding

$85,422 over 4 years

Summary

There is a need in the abalone industry to improve production animals. However, abalone are relatively slow growing animals and take several years to reach harvest size. This means that during the establishment of foundation broodstock populations it may be several years before the relative genetic merit of each of the broodstock can be determined and the first selection decisions made. Researchers at JCU have addressed this time-lag problem of obtaining accurate genetic estimated breeding values (gEBV) in other species. They have shown that broodstock gEBV can be estimated accurately from larvae as early as 18 days through the targeting of growth processes at the cellular level that predict genetic-determined long-term growth. This method is as yet untested in abalone, but if successful, has great potential in helping screen broodstock. This project will test the efficacy of this early prediction method in abalone. The impact of this early detection method would be to save costs by assisting in the selection of superior broodstock individuals which would produce faster growing offspring. Currently new broodstock animals are unevaluated with regard to their genetic merit.

The Northern Australia eDNA Program - Revolutionising Aquatic Monitoring and Field Surveys in Tropical Waters

Indicative Funding

$570,000 over 3 years

Summary

All organisms shed DNA into their environment. This is termed environment DNA (eDNA). Capture and analysis of eDNA (in soil or water samples) is a highly efficient and sensitive method to detect the presence of a wide range of species without actually requiring physical capture, or sighting of the organisms themselves. eDNA field sampling can involve as little as collecting water samples and

Department of Industry, Innovation and Science - Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program

Rapid iteration selective breeding: Australia's fish to feed the world

Indicative Funding

$1,090,000 over 3 years (administered by Mainstream Aquaculture Pty Ltd)

Summary

Barramundi - Australia?s favourite fish ? is gaining popularity worldwide as a farmed solution for supply of white fish. The world needs a sustainable source of white fish, as current supply comes from declining wild catch fisheries. Industrial scale farming offers a solution. Success relies on improved seed stock and the Australian Barramundi industry in conjunction with the CRC-P program is tackling this challenge by applying advanced modern genetics to Australia?s barramundi breeding stocks.

Development of advanced reproductive techniques to characterize infertility in Barramundi

Indicative Funding

$45,000 over 3 years

Summary

Since the 1980's, the $45 million barramundi aquaculture industry has stagnated due to a lack of
development of advanced breeding technologies. With the recent development of genomic resources
& putative methods to control sex, the industry is poised to undergo rapid expansion by implementing
a genetic-based breeding program. Significant impediments to progress include dependence on often
unsuccessful mixed spawning events, under-representation of genetically valuable individuals in
offspring, & an inability to preserve valuable bloodlines - all due to a poor understanding of the factors
that determine (in)fertility in this species. This project will develop advanced reproductive techniques to
characterize infertility & accelerate selective breeding in barramundi, which will be implemented into the
industry. This project has been granted by the JCU Partnership Grants to consolidate the collaboration
between the university and our industry partner, Mainstream Aquaculture, endowed with the largest
recirculating aquaculture system operating in mainland Australia. Barramundi farming hold a subsequent
place in Queensland as it is place of more than half of the Australian barramundi farm production. The
outcomes of this project will provide a new leverage for Queensland's industry and economy by directly
impacting the production, increasing capability for aquaculture farms and bring innovation in rural regions.
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The project will monitor the presence and viral load of a number of endemic prawn viruses in farmed prawns collected at Australian Prawn Farm. The data collected will be used to prepare evidence based management protocols to improve productivity on the farm.

Ecological Society of Australia - Student Research Awards

Is temperature an ecological driver of sex change in hermaphroditic fish?

Indicative Funding

$1,500

Summary

Using barramundi as an experimental model, we will test the hypothesis that temperature is an ecological driver of sex change in fish, acting via changes in DNA methylation of conserved sex-determining genes and ultimately resulting in differences in the size and age at which populations change sex. The findings will significantly advance current understanding of temperature as an ecological driver sex change and facilitate predictions of the effect of climate change on key population demographics; sex ratio and effective population size. Specifically, the results will inform management strategies for barramundi fisheries and assist in the preservation of associated aquatic ecosystems.

Investigators

Alyssa Budd and Dean Jerry in collaboration with Olivia Whybird and Julie Robins
(College of Science & Engineering, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Forestry)

The project will monitor the presence and viral load of a number of endemic prawn viruses in farmed prawns collected at Seafarm. The data collected will be used to prepare evidence based management protocols to improve biosecurity management on the farm.

Assessing the nutritional quality in Australian barramundi

Indicative Funding

$16,000

Summary

To assess the variability in nutrient composition, specifically omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) and minerals, in the fillet of farmed Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer). This information will be used by the barramundi industry to market the health benefits of its farmed product.

Department of Agriculture and Water Resources - Research Grant

The validation of molecular diagnostic assays of marine pests of high priority to Australia

Indicative Funding

$45,000 (administered by Department of Fisheries (WA))

Summary

Detection of marine pests using traditional methods is notoriously difficult, lacks accuracy and is costly. Molecular methods for detection of marine pests using environmental DNA offers promise of relatively inexpensive, efficient and sensitive sampling to detect the possible presence of marine pests. However, many of these tests have not been validated to give a level of sensitivity and specificity to inform determination of whether an exotic marine species is present. The validation of molecular techniques for marine pests will determine fitness for purpose and performance for that purpose which can then be factored into design of surveillance.

Fisheries Research & Development Corporation - Rural Development for Profit

$472,775 over 4 years (administered by Department of Primary Industries (NSW))

Summary

The K4P project is focused on growing the key existing Australian YTK industry participants, as well as the industry as a whole, and directly addresses FRDS's new strategic plan to build Australian sustainable aquaculture development through the activities of the "new and Emerging Aquaculture Opportunities' (NEAO) Subprogram. The K4P project also aligns with the National marine Science Plan to grow the blue economy, and the national Aquaculture Statement and Strategy to grow Australian aquaculture production and better coordinate fisheries and aquaculture R&D resources nationally.

Professor Dean Jerry is the Director of the ARC Research Hub for Advanced Prawn Breeding, Dean of Research for the JCU Singapore campus and the Deputy Director JCU Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture.